THE Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) has stepped up measures aimed at increasing the number of men who access health services to help reduce the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.

YMCA national general secretary Mutale Chanda said most women accessed health through maternal and child health services, which included immunisation and antenatal.

Ms Chanda said in a male-dominated society where men and women often functioned separately, using services embedded in such a setting was stigmatising for many men, and that the feminised environment could deter them from going to be tested.

She said this in a statement.

"We have stepped up the sharing of information to young men that health is not only for females, but should be accessed by males at any time," Ms Chanda said.

She said in YMCA's transformed masculinity model, the organisation inculcated values in young men and boys that re-ordered and shifted from masculinity that relied on dominance and abuse to one of mutual respect and understanding. Read more via All Africa